New Raiders’ Coach Doesn’t Hold Back On Aidan O’Connell

The Las Vegas Raiders don’t seem married to the idea of Aidan O’Connell at quarterback in 2024, but new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy still likes what he sees from the youngster.

“Without even knowing him or talking to him about anything yet, I could tell you right now that guy has got to be someone that prepares his butt off and is a great teammate,” Getsy said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “I mean, for the guys to rally around him the way that I saw from the outside looking in, and for him to go perform in the way that he did in the end of that season, that just speaks volumes. So, I’m excited to get to know him, excited to work with him for sure.”

Getsy’s comments come on the heels of head coach Antonio Pierce recently saying on The Pivot podcast that the Raiders need to figure out the quarterback position going into next season.

Pierce was sure to compliment O’Connell, praising how well he played down the stretch of 2023. However, it seems pretty obvious that Pierce thinks Las Vegas could use an upgrade under center, and you get the sense that the front office feels the same way.

But at the very least, Getsy has been impressed with O’Connell.

O’Connell, who played his collegiate football at Purdue, was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

He played in 11 games and made 10 starts during his rookie campaign, ultimately supplanting Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter.

During his time on the field this past season, O’Connell threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.1 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 83.9.

Over his last four games, the 25-year-old threw eight touchdown passes with no picks.

We’ll see if the Raiders decide to give Aidan O’Connell a chance to start next season or if they choose to go in a different direction in the coming weeks and months.